Inland Valley Humane Society concerned about noisy firing range

POMONA >> Being a neighbor to the Police Department’s firing range has become increasingly difficult for the Inland Valley Humane Society and SPCA.

Decades ago, the police firing range — on the hillside to the west of the Humane Society — was used periodically for training, said Bill Harford, president and chief executive officer.

But in more recent years, use of the range has increased and has become the source of noise generated by officers taking part in firearms training.

Harford said the sound of gunfire is a hardship on the animals, on staff and on the customers who do business at the shelter.

“We’ve had people drive away and call back asking, ‘Did you have a drive-by shooting?’ ” Harford said.

The noise creates a strain for personnel and for the animals housed there, including about 5,000 dogs that pass through the doors of the shelter every year.

“They’ve already been neglected and abused,” Harford said. “Now they’re being tormented by this noise.”

Police Department Assistant Chief Paul Capraro said the part of the problem is the hill.

The range “is right up against the hill,” he said. “The sound bounces of that hill.”

Capraro said he has met with Harford and with members of the Humane Society’s board of directors and heard their concerns.

The department is trying to be a good neighbor and has limited the hours the range is used to 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

The facility is primarily used Mondays through Thursdays and sometimes on Fridays. Occasionally, the facility is used on weekends for competitions.

The range is used by about eight other law enforcement agencies, including municipal and federal agencies, who pay a fee to use Pomona’s range, he said.

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Recently, Capraro presented a proposal to the City Council calling for awarding a bid to a company that would construct a training facility consisting of movable walls made of a rubber-like, composite material.

In addition to the movable walls, the system is surrounded by an 8-foot block wall and has a heavy canvas-like cover over the top. The top can be lowered to create a dark, nighttime-like environment.

The modular facility, which would be the first of a two-phase project, has a cost of $612,659 and would be set up in one of the police facility’s two ranges and provide a valuable training tool and at the same time address the noise concern.

Funding for the project would come from police asset forfeiture funds, Capraro said.

The second phase, which has not yet been put out to bid, calls for adding acoustical paneling equipment to the second range within the facility to reduce noise, he said.

During the Sept. 9 meeting, Councilwoman Paula Lantz said she needed additional information on the proposal before she could give it her support.

City Council members directed city staff to bring information that shows what the proposed movable structure would look like, information on noise and details on the two phases of the project.

Councilwoman Debra Martin asked that arrangements be made so that she and others could see an existing facility.

Capraro said the movable system is effective in addressing noise and has seen it used at the Los Angeles Police Department training academy.

From Harford’s point of view, the police proposal will not address the problem. What the city needs is an enclosed firing range, something many neighboring police departments have, he said.

Capraro said that’s an expensive proposition.

“Over the years, we’ve looked into that,” he said. “It’s economically unfeasible.”

An indoor facility that meets a series of requirements set by various regulatory agencies can cost between $15 million and $20 million.